An excerpt:  What Kluwe fails to grasp, as many in today’s society often do, is that NFL teams are private organizations: as such, they can release an employee for any reason that is not contrary to the law (e.g., race) and is not contractually forbidden. Moreover, the contracts players often sign with the teams include all manner of behavioral clauses, …

DNAinfo reports: Two men were arrested for dancing on a crowded subway car at the West 4th Street station last week, NYPD said. Police spotted 20-year-old Shamik Watson and 18-year-old Andrew Washington dancing and somersaulting on a packed A train at about 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 27, police said. The pair caused a hazard to themselves and others around them, …

Via the Atlantic: Clarence Eckerson has been documenting conditions on the city’s streets since the 1990s, and he has a huge archive of footage. Here, he juxtaposes images of key New York locations before, during, and after radical redesigns that took place under the jurisdiction of the Bloomberg administration’s transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan. Eckerson shows the transformation of Times Square, …

Evergreen International, the NARTH-affiliated and largest Mormon “ex-gay” group, has shut down and merged with a “softer” group of “ex-gay” nutters that downplays reparative therapy. The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Days after hundreds of gay and lesbian couples swarmed county offices to get Utah marriage licenses, a group originally founded to help Mormons eliminate same-sex attraction closed its doors. Before …

When it came time for Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano to be sworn in for his second term yesterday, nobody could find a bible. Therefore Mangano took his oath on an iPad with a bible app on the screen. Sample comments from Teabagistan: “New York is so far left they have probably banned or burned all the Bibles.” “These people …

The billboard is on Interstate 15 in Salt Lake City. American Atheists President David Silverman explained in a news release, “Our message is this: If you don’t believe anymore, don’t continue to base your identity in Mormonism. You’re so much more than an ‘ex-Mormon’; you’re an atheist.” The three children were on board with the ad, Monnett says. He says …

The Washington Blade reports that American Idol contestant and openly gay pop singer Clay Aiken is considering running for the U.S. House. Via Chris Johnson: The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the 35-year-old Raleigh native has taken initial steps for a run, including consulting with political operatives in Washington, D.C., about a bid for the seat. One …

Stereogum recaps: The record now sits atop the roof of the Forum in Inglewood, CA, and measures 407 feet in diameter — or maybe it’s more appropriate to simply call it a 4884-inch. It was installed in anticipation of the six Eagles shows to mark the re-opening of the Forum since its purchase and renovation by the Madison Square Garden …

Via the New York Daily News: The Robertson family — who brushed with controversy after patriarch Phil Robertson waded in and out of a suspension from their hit A&E reality show — have partnered with Connecticut-based gun maker Mossberg on the line of nine shotguns, two rifles and a semi-automatic pistol. The embattled elder Robertson narrates four promotional videos for …

A lot of hullabaloo for six inches of snow. But the wind chill is minus five.

“I vehemently deny today’s allegations made by Chris Kluwe. I want to be clear that I do not tolerate discrimination of any type and am respectful of all individuals. I personally have gay family members who I love and support just as I do any family member. The primary reason I entered coaching was to affect people in a positive …

“In Chris Kluwe’s eight years with the Vikings, not only was he an outstanding contributor to the team on the field – setting several team records— he was also a tremendous contributor off the field, for his advocacy for freedom and dignity for all Minnesotans. His decision to publicly announce his opposition to the marriage amendment came at a critical …

Earlier today former Minnesota Vikings punter and LGBT ally Chris Kluwe posted a Deadspin column in which he stated that he believes that he was released by the team because of anti-gay animus. Among Kluwe’s charges is that a Vikings coach said this in a team meeting: “We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and …

“When the president named the delegation, and I read in the news what his message was of tolerance and diversity, I thought, I have to take this opportunity. I think the message is so strong. I’ve always wanted to represent my country as best I could, and I knew that I had to go past my comfort zone and reveal …

In a new commercial for Bing, Microsoft celebrates the “heroic women” of 2013, including DOMA champion Edith Windsor and distance swimmer Diana Nyad.

In his first-ever interview with the LGBT press, former (and possibly future) Florida Gov. Charlie Christ repeatedly apologized for supporting his state’s successful constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Via Orlando’s Watermark: WATERMARK: When you first ran for governor in 2006, you said that a ban on same-sex marriage was unnecessary, but then you signed a petition to place Amendment 2 …

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